Tanzania has announced new restrictions on industrial involvement in fishing on Lake Victoria, highlighting rising regional alarm over the sustainability of Africa’s largest freshwater fishery and the millions of people who rely on it for food and income.
The Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Bashiru Ally Kakurwa, said that industries would no longer be permitted to participate directly in fishing activities on the lake, arguing that commercial practices were accelerating fish stock depletion and marginalising small-scale fishermen.
Speaking during a working visit to the Kagera Region, where he toured a Nile perch processing plant in Muleba District, Kakurwa emphasised the urgency of protecting the lake’s fragile ecosystem. “Encroachment on the 200-metre buffer zone by industries and farmers, combined with the use of illegal nets that trap juvenile fish, continues to degrade Lake Victoria’s resources,” he said.
Lake Victoria, the world’s second-largest freshwater lake, supports the livelihoods of more than 47 million people across Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda.
The lake sustains one of the most productive freshwater fisheries globally, producing more than 1.5 million tonnes of fish each year, with an estimated market value of US$1.1bn. It also supplies water for domestic use, irrigation and industrial activity throughout east Africa.
Despite its importance, environmental specialists warn that the lake faces mounting threats. Wetland destruction, deforestation, pollution from untreated urban and industrial waste, agricultural runoff and overfishing have steadily weakened its ecological resilience.
Rapid urbanisation, population growth and expanding economic activity have further intensified pressure on the lake, increasing demand for water and fisheries resources while reducing natural recovery capacity.
Kakurwa said Tanzania would tighten enforcement of existing regulations, including shoreline buffer protections and bans on destructive fishing gear, while working with neighbouring countries to safeguard the shared lake.
In 2025, East African Community member states reaffirmed commitments to sustainable development and closer cooperation across the Lake Victoria basin.
